Clip pack



y 1967 D. H. PETERSON CLIP PACK Filed Oct. 12. 1965 INVENTOR. DOA/404.0 H. PETERSON BYIESW ATTOQNEN and product damage.

United States Patent C) 3,332,551 CLIP PACK Donald H. Peterson, Sherman Oaks, Califi, assignor to John A. Rainsford and Mary Rainsford, doing business as E-Z Products Co., Culver City, Calif.

Filed Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,154 13 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) The present invention relates to packaging means and more particularly to a novel packaging means including a spring member for holding together a plurality of articles normally having irregular shape or which are normally bulky or difficult to handle.

In the packaging industry, it has been found difficult to pre-pack various articles of manufacture which are of irregular size and shape and particularly articles such as plumbing fitting-s and fixtures which may present sharp threads and metal spurs or which may be oily and dirty so that handling of the article becomes awkward and inconvenient. Therefore, there has been a long standing need in the industry to provide a pre-packaging means for such an article which lends itself to bulk packaging as well as being designed for point of purchase display and for compact and orderly self-storage arrangement.

Accordingly, the novel packaging means of the present invention may be employed for uniformly packing various articles in an assembly by means of an elongated resilient clip means for tightly securing the articles together. The firmly clipped articles are totally encapsulated in a high tensile strength clear membrane which is caused to be tightly fitted about the articles so that a high density unitized package is formed.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel packaging means for objects of irregular configuration or articles which are not normally subject to bulk packaging which provide an air-tight and rust resistent packing which enhances the attractiveness of the product packaged so as to offer great consumer appeal for purchase at the point of display.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel packaging means for a plurality of articles which may be employed for vertical or horizontal storage for effective product display.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for lpre-packaging a variety of metal articles such as plumbing pipe fittings, tubes, rods, nipples or the like, which greatly reduces and simplifies stocking, clerical and consumer handling time so that the merchandise may be moved rapidly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel clip packaging means for storing articles employed in the plumbing art which not only provides a clean, air tight and rust resistent package but discourages pilfering Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel packaging means which will increase gross product sale by enhancing buying appeal of the product whereby the customers will be induced to purchase additional quantities of the article at an attractive price.

Features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the novel clip packaging means of the present invention illustrating the packaging of plumbing fittings or the like;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the novel packaging means as shown in FIGURE 1 taken in the direction of arrow 22;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a modified clip member employed in the packaging means of FIGURES 6 and 7;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention wherein a plurality of plumbing articles are packaged thereby;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the package shown in FIGURE 4 taken in the direction of arrows 5-5;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the clip packaging means illustrating the packaging of articles having irregular shape such as plumbing Ts, Ls, unions, etc. employing the clip member shown in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is an end elevational view of package means as shown in FIGURE 6 as taken in the direction of arrows Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, the packaging means of the present invention is shown in one form in the general direction of arrow 10. The packaging means is shown, in general, to comprise an elongated resilient spring clip 11 having arcuate end sections 12 and 13 integrally extending from relatively fiat sections 14 and 15 formed about a mid-section 16 at a very slight angle to provide increased resiliency and positive locking action. The spring clip is press fitted about abutting articles of manufacture to be packaged which in the present instance are represented by tube fittings such as nipples as indicated by numeral 17 so that the extreme opposite ends of the clip extend beyond the central axis of the center fitting and further extend slightly beyond the central axis of the fittings located on opposite sides of the center fitting. Therefore, it is to be noted that in the finally assembled package, the central axis of the fittings located on the outside represented by numeral 18 lie on the same plane which is on a different plane from the central axis of the center fitting as represented by numeral 20.

To assemble, the two outside fittings are placed in the clip followed by forcibly urging the center fitting between the two outside fittings until the central axis 20' of the center fitting is displaced beyond the plane 18. When so displaced, the outside fittings forcibly hold the center fitting in place. The packaging means lends itself to either manual assembly or automatic machine assembly. When automatically assembled, the clip member may be snapped on the articles from the top and the articles will find their own in the clip member.

Through such an assemblage of fittings, it is to be noted that the opposite ar'cuate sections of the clip force the center fitting against the mid-section 16 while the other two fittings are forced against the inside of the spring clip per se. The plastic sleeve material may be composed the arcuate sections 12 and 13 respectively. The spring force of the clip urges the fittings to abut against one another as well as to force the fittings against the inside of the clip so that the fittings are forcibly held together.

The packaging means 10 also includes a protective wrapping or sleeve of plastic sheet 21 or the like disposed about the entire assembly of fittings including the clip per se. The plastic sleeve material may be composed of any suitable material such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyurethane or the like which may be subjected to heat and caused to shrink about the fittings and clip to shrink pack all of the components into a unitized package.

As shown more clearly in FIGURES 2 and 3, the outside surface of the spring clip provides an area which is suitable for application of labeling or advertising material such as is represented by an adhesive label 22 which may be secured to the clip about the mid section 16 thereof. A feature of the present invention resides not only Patented July 25, 1967* in the provision for accommodating suitable labels but in employing the plastic sheet 21 of transparent material so that the advertising or information contained on the label may :be clearly seen without unpacking or removing portions of the package as well as to provide for visual inspection of the articles carried by the package without removal thereof.

The packaging means of the present invention is also adapted to accommodate the packaging of a plurality of articles such as the multiple plumbing fittings as shown in FIGURE 4 and as represented by numeral 23. The basic clip as shown in FIGURES 1-3 inclusive is incorporated into a clip 24 shown in FIGURE 4 with the inclusion of a flat portion 25 which terminates in an arcuate portion 26 formed on each end of the basic clip 24. The principle of loading the articles to be packaged is similar to that previously described with respect to the embodirnent of FIGURES 1 and 2 in that the arcuate sections 12 and 13 extend beyond the plane of central axis of the first tier or layer of articles to be packaged while the arcuate portions 26 extend beyond the plane of central axis of the second or lower tier of articles to be packaged. By employing the spring clip of the present invention as shown in FIGURE 4, any multiple tiers of articles may :be packaged and the articles will be arranged in accordance with a predetermined symmetrical format all to the enhancement of customer appeal and making it possible to bulk package multiple articles.

Referring now to FIGURES 3, 6 and 7, a clip 30 is shown for holding and snap-locking together a pair of pipe fittings such as represented by the plumbing Ts 31 and 32. Thus, it can be seen that the packaging means of the present invention can be employed for holding together and retaining articles of irregular configuration as Well as cylindrical articles as represented by the plumbing tubular fittings 17. In addition to the spring clip which holds the articles together, the package may be completed by skin wrapping the clip retained articles in a sheet of plastic such as polyvinyl chloride.

The clip is similar to clip 11 except that the terminating ends 33 and 34 of each arcuate section is formed with a slight curvature 35 so that more than one point of contact is provided with the article to be packaged, particularly when the external surface of the article is curved or rounded. The clip is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 as coupling the fittings together about the connector portions thereof to illustrate an alternate mode of packaging whereby the =clip arcuate sections curve about flanges 36 and 37 carried by the fittings.

With respect to the wrapping of the articles as illustrated in FIGURES l, 4 and 6, in a plastic sleeve, it is preferred that material such as polyvinyl chloride be employed having a thickness of approximately .001 to .00 2 which is initially folded over the clipped together articles to be wrapped followed by heat seaing three sides thereof and then insertion of the package into a heat tunnel or chamber for approximately two to three seconds at a temperature of 250 P. which causes the plastic sheet to shrink about the article. The amount of shrinkage and the directionof the shrinkage so as to tightly shrink pack the article can be preset so that tearing or ripping of the plastic sheet can be avoided during normal usage. The clipped together articles may be processed either manually or by machine during the plastic sleeve shrinking procedure.

Therefore, it can be seen that the state of the art in packaging means has been advanced through the employment of the present invention whereby a plurality of irregularly shaped or normally awkward items to handle can be readily packaged in bulk form so as to offer many advantages from a manufacturing, selling and purchasing point of view.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be, made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Packaging means comprising:

an elongated clip member composed of flat resilient spring material;

said member having inwardly directed arcuate sections disposed on opposite ends thereof; and

said member being bent about its mid-section so as to provide integral flat portions extending outwardly from the mid-section at a small angle to join said arcuate sections.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including a predetermined area crossing said member mid-section on the back .of said member for accommodating the display of identifying indicia.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the free ends of said arcuate sections curve inwardly so as to define a snap receptacle for receiving a plurality of articles intended to be packaged.

4. Packaging means for releasably retaining a plurality of articles comprising:

an elongated clip member composed of flat resilient spring material and having inwardly disposed arcuate sections carried on the opposite ends thereof to define a snap receptacle therebetween for receiving the plurality of articles;

said arcuate sections having free ends that engage the exterior surface of the articles whereby the outside articles are forcibly urged against the inner articles to form a composite package; and

sheet means enclosing said composite package including said clip member.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said sheet means is composed of transparent material adapted to shrink pack about said composite package of articles.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 whereby the outside articles lie in a common plane difierent from a plane on which the inner articles lie.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the articles are arranged in a side-by-side relationship having a portion of their exterior surface bearing against the inside of said clip member between said arcuate sections.

8. Packaging means for releasably securing a plurality of articles in layers or tiers comprising:

an elongated clip member having a first and a second arcuate resilient section curved inwardly to define a snap-lock receptacle therebetween to retain a first tier of articles;

a third and a fourth arcuate resilient section carried on opposite ends of said clip member for retaining a second tier of articles; and i a fiat intermediate section integrally joining said first and said second arcuate sections with said third and said fourth arcuate sections respectively whereby the plurality of articles are arranged in parallel vertical rows and non-parallel horizontal tiers.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 including a transparent sheet of plastic composition enclosing said arrangement of articles and said clip member and adapted to be heat shrunk to shrink pack said arrangement and said clip member into a composite unitized package.

10. An expandable clip for releasably securing articles together to form a composite package comprising:

a fiat elongated resilient member bent about its midsection to provide a pair of co-extensive flat sections; jointly forming a slight angle therebetween;

each of said fiat sections of said pair terminating in an inwardly directed arcuate section adapted to define an article receiving receptacle therebetween;

said arcuate sections adapted to engage the outside articles and to releasably retain all of the articles within said receptacle when an inner article is forcibly urged between the outside articles to spread said resilient member.

11. The invention as defined in claim 10 including a transparent covering enclosing the articles and said resilient member to form a composite and unitized shrinkpack package.

12. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein portions of the external surface of the articles butt against said resilient member and against each other whereby articles disposed between the extreme outside articles are offset from the extreme outside articles in at least one plane.

13. Packaging means for releasably joining a plurality of articles, each of which present an irregular external contour, comprising:

a resilient, elongated clip member made of spring material having its opposite ends terminating in inwardly disposed arcuate sections arranged in opposing relationship to define a snap lock receptacle therebetween for receiving the plurality of articles;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Gerlat 206-65 Bicknell 206-60 Poupitch 24-81 Enos 206-65 Rumsey 206-46 Ivanhoe 206-46 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

20 WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Examiner. 

4. PACKAGING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED CLIP MEMBER COMPOSED OF FLAT RESILIENT SPRING MATERIAL AND HAVING INWARDLY DISPOSED ARCUATE SECTIONS CARRIED ON THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF TO DEFINE A SNAP RECEPTACLE THEREBETWEEN FOR RECEIVING THE PLURALITY OF ARTICLES; SAID ARCUATE SECTIONS HAVING FREE ENDS THAT ENGAGE THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE ARTICLES WHEREBY THE OUTSIDE ARTICLES ARE FORCIBLY URGED AGAINST THE INNER ARTICLES TO FORM A COMPOSITE PACKAGE; AND SHEET MEANS ENCLOSING SAID COMPOSITE PACKAGE INCLUDING SAID CLIP MEMBER. 